July 15-21, 2004

naked city

fineprint

Less words, more story.

by Rebecca Bellville and Helen i-lin Hwang

Spooky Lou

Lou Gentile has gone over to the other side. On his radio show, simply named The Lou Gentile Show, he discusses the paranormal, exorcisms, hauntings, demonology, alien abductions, fallen angels and more. After years of trying to get syndicated, the Northeast Philadelphian has finally done so, thanks to the resources of International Broadcasting Corp. Radio Network (IBCRN), a satellite talk-radio service running on

www.ibcradio.com and AM radio stations around the world, but still not in Philly. "That's a problem," says Gentile, 36.

On Monday, he'll start broadcasting live from 1 to 5 a.m. with a repeated broadcast from 5 to 9 a.m. and a pre-feed from midnight to 1 a.m. He broadcasts from a studio in his basement and had previously been reaching an audience primarily via his Web site, www.lougentile.com, when City Paper first wrote about the one-man operation ["Heir to the Air," Patrick Rapa, Oct. 31, 2002]. His guests include eyewitnesses, authors and experts in this alternative field that Gentile takes very seriously.

Nowadays, the man's mystique is only growing.

After calls to 10 different phone numbers and numerous e-mail messages to Gentile and IBCRN's flak, Gentile finally called back, citing a family tragedy. Gentile's "free" Web site itself reveals very little information. Only 10 percent of the content is available for free, as he's convinced that true believers will pony up $53.95 to become a member. What you do get for free is a black-and-white Glamour-like shot of Gentile and a plea to register. Upon registration, a reply e-mail states you need to have that PayPal account handy. (Hmm, that wasn't so clear before I filled out the information.) Features that non-registered users can access include "Recommend Us," "Links," "Site Advertising" and "FAQ." The links include information about "Atlantis & Lost Civilizations," "Fairies" and "Electronic Voice Phenomena," which apparently involves communicating with the dead. The only frequently asked question posted is "I paid for premium access. How do I access the archives?" to which Gentile responds that you should register.

When we first wrote about him, he boasted of having 500 to 1,200 listeners a night. Today, his Web site says he's got 900,000 listeners now. All of whom are human, we begrudgingly suspect.
— Helen i-lin Hwang

Ready, Set, Overthrow

The latest addition to the local anti-Bush campaign is a running club that wants to unseat the president.

The Philadelphia chapter of Run Against Bush, which formed in February, gathers at Rittenhouse Square on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings. Members then jog to Penn's Landing sporting blue T-shirts that read "Run Against Bush" and hand out fliers to passersby with the hope of influencing potential voters.

"Our T-shirts act as human billboards — we attract most of our new members from friends of friends and people who simply see us running on the street," says organizer Shira Rudavsky, who is working on her master's degree in education at Temple. Boasting roughly 100 members, the group has as many as 15 runners hitting the streets at a time.

The shirts cost $25, but if you're a student or have a low income, you can knock $5 off the price. The money goes to the national group's efforts to support the Democratic committees in swing states such as Pennsylvania, and the group has also donated to the Democratic National Committee. Run Against Bush, which is based in Washington, D.C., has raised $150,000.

"I think it's good, outside-the-box thinking," says organizer Brian Gralnick, who works on Democrat Jim Eisenhower's campaign for state attorney general. "A group like Run Against Bush is good at getting the nontraditional voter."

Says member Chris Nezu, who teaches medicine and psychology at Drexel, "I think the best we can do is get people involved who haven't been."

The group's run last Saturday drew a pretty warm reception from people on the street. In the past, Gralnick says people have chased after them to get fliers. Rudavsky says she is seeing her work impact voters.

"I probably speak to an average of four to five people a day about Run Against Bush, and if that helps get them to the polls in November and helps them get their friends and family to the polls, then it is a success," she says.

Despite all the warm tidings, Penn political science professor Diana Mutz doubts the effort can have that great an impact.

"It's not a tactic that can target the people who are most likely to be persuaded," she says. "The idea that someone walking down the street sees a T-shirt and changes their mind is unlikely."

The group's real strength, Mutz says, is getting like-minded people together.
— Rebecca Bellville